Bronx Middle Schools: Making Puberty Harder

Today at 3 p.m., Bronx Borough President Carrión will join parents from the Community Collaborative to Improve Bronx Schools in response to the dreary condition of middle schools in the area. And dreary they are: their’s is the lowest graduation rate in the city. 100 balloons will be released, 75 of which will be black to represent the percentage of students who don’t graduate with a regent diploma (why they got to be black?) and the rest will be red (I don’t know what that means). New York City is experiencing a bit of a middle school crisis—and we’re not talking about bus stops—but the Bronx is the worst of the worst. Apparently, only one out of four eighth graders can read at the state’s standard level, and eighth grade math results for the area show that three out of four students fail. Eash. Show up at the Bronx County Court House Steps (161st St. and Grand Concourse) to show support—or, if you’re skipping school and have nothing else to do.